Stranded with the Billionaire

I R E N A

Irena shivered again as she stepped down the mountain. The memory of Sage ‘s body pressing against hers flashed through her mind. She shook her head vigorously. We have to go.

Before she went into a frenzy trying to decipher Sage ‘s intentions, she stopped. In the distance, she could see trees and greenery. She turned back.

“Look!” She points to the changing landscape.

A smile appeared on Sage ‘s lips. “Finally. The end of the glacier.”

Seeing the first sign of life healed Irena ‘s wounds. Suddenly, the sharp pain in her legs eased. She was almost gone. From that mountain Freedom is only a moment away.

As they neared the edge of the glacier, the joy in Irena ‘s heart plummeted. There was a  lake hundreds of meters high falling in front of them. Streams flow from the glacier and descend along the mountain. How the hell did they  get down?

“Sage?” she asked, turning to look at him. “And now?”

Sage ‘s posture  tightened as he looked around. He glanced at Irena. He looked over the ledge and ran his hand through his hair. When her gaze met his, a tingling sensation flared up in her stomach. He was worried. Mr. Mountaineer Man was worried. It was not good.

“Sage ? What’s wrong?”

He took his bag and opened it. “I…” He looked back again. “I just don’t think I can pull you down with the rope.”

Irena patted her temple. “What? Lower me? ”

He pulled out the rope they used before. “We have two choices. One – I help you and Titan and then you help me too. Second, we crossed the glacier and hoped that we would choose the tunnel that would take us out.”

She glanced at the glacier. “What is the probability that we choose wrong?”

Sage ‘s Adam’s apple rises and falls as he plays with the rope. “Probably fifty and fifty. If we choose wrong, we will disappear into the glacier and never get out.”

Irena ‘s legs are getting weaker and weaker. What did he just say? “Disappear in the glacier?” Uh, let’s try the waterfall. She moved closer to the edge of the cliff, but seeing the fall up close didn’t make her feel any better.

“Irena , I don’t think that’s going to work. I think our best bet is to go down one of the tunnels.”

” Tunnel? Does disappearing into an ice coffin sound better?”

“Better than falling  a hundred feet off a jagged cliff.”

Irena ‘s stomach tightened at the thought of what he had just said. All she wanted now was to be at home. Don’t get stuck in the Greenland wilderness. Why did she come back?

She glanced  at Sage examining her.

“Stop talking,” he said, putting the rope back in his pocket and tying it up.

“Say what?”

“Thoughts wander in the head.” He took his bag and stood up.

“What? The fact that this situation is entirely your fault?”

He walks towards one of the holes in the glacier. It was about a meter in diameter and he had to bend over to get in. “Yes. This one.” His voice echoed from the glacier’s walls  as he disappeared within it.

“Wait,” Irena called. She wrapped her thumb around the strap of her backpack  and headed for the opening.

Sage was sitting  on the bluest ice she had ever seen. He tapped it with half a ski pole. She stood a few feet away and waited.

“I understand that I have failed. I’m a pilot. It’s my job to protect you. He looked up and his breath caught in his throat. There was so much pain in her eyes that she noticed the floor. The emotions he aroused in her surprised and alarmed her.

An outstretched arm startled her. He had appeared at the entrance to the tunnel, and his hand was outstretched and was now wrapped around his elbow. She looked up to meet him.

“I will make sure you survive, Miss . Derrick . I’ll protect you.” Her voice was low with each word, “You just have to trust me” . He’s Sage . A broken and worried man. And she can connect with that.

“Okay,” she whispered, nodding. “I trust you.”

Sage looked at her again then dropped his hand. “The ice seems solid, which is a good sign. All we have to do is go down. He pointed towards the tunnel. “It’s going to be stuffy in there, but you just have to keep moving.”

Irena looks at the opening. “You come down with me. Right?”

Sage nodded. “I’ll be right behind you.” I have to help Sage  down.

She studied tape. It doesn’t make her feel comfortable having to go first. But, if going second meant that she had to protect Sage , then she preferred to go first.

“Hey,” he said, standing up and running his fingers over her arm. “You can do it.”

Irena nodded, but her heart was pounding. Can she do this? She is not strong. She couldn’t even save her mother from her abusive father. How will she get out of the desert? Sage seems to be very confident about everything, and she just slows his pace.

She sat looking down at the tunnel. Blue ice shines from the sun. Water seeps into  pants. She flexed her fingers as the cold of the ice seeped into her bones. It’s now or never. She took a deep breath and stepped back, sliding into the tunnel. She tried to suppress the scream in her throat. It was too late to panic now.